


life without end

by wrennette



Series: Trashpile: A Compendium of Unfinished Fics [29]
Category: Highlander - All Media Types, The Mummy Series
Genre: Blanket Permission, Evil Author Day, Gen, Immortal!Ardeth, don't repost or copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29478003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrennette/pseuds/wrennette
Summary: “Either one of those you have named is of our kindred, or someone has wandered very far from the beaten track,” Methos hypothesized. Ardeth nodded, and with a sigh Methos followed his student into the temple.
Relationships: Ardeth Bay & Methos (Highlander)
Series: Trashpile: A Compendium of Unfinished Fics [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/712446
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	life without end

**Author's Note:**

> happy evil author day! For those unfamiliar with the premise, ead is annually on 02/15, and we evil authors post fic titles, snippets, and so forth with absolutely zero promise that these works will be continued or completed. this fic has been languishing in my drafts for a long while without advancing, so here you go, happy ead!

Methos shivered, reining in his horse as Presence skittered over his nerves. He glanced over at his student, who was looking around wildly. Ardeth was nearly a hundred, and had spent the majority of that time Immortal, although he hadn’t realized it. The other Medjai had simply seen it as a blessing from Allah, or perhaps the more ancient gods that Allah had displaced, and very consciously not spoken of their leader’s perpetual youth and health, even as his agemates grew old and died.

“What is nearby?” Methos asked in the Bedouin tongue the Medjai spoke.

“Ahm Shere,” Ardeth said thickly, jerking his chin in the appropriate direction. Methos nodded, and they turned their horses toward the fabled oasis. As they approached, the Presence grew stronger, but no less skittering. It jumped and twisted, stretched and shifted, and by the time they reached the treeline, Methos was nearly jumping at his own shadow. 

From the robes he wore, Methos pulled the scimitar he was currently using, and heard Ardeth’s steel ring out a heartbeat later. He heard a soft gasp from Ardeth as their horses brought them to the base of a massive temple complex. Knowing how controlled and self contained his student was, Methos glanced over, raising an eyebrow in expectation of some clarification.

“The tomb of the Scorpion King,” Ardeth said darkly. “Here he was killed, and I died for the second time in the sands above, in battle against the Army of Anubis. Here also the Creature that was once Imhotep of Hamunaptra was pulled into the underworld.” Methos settled, thinking.

“Either one of those you have named is of our kindred, or someone has wandered very far from the beaten track,” Methos hypothesized. Ardeth nodded, and with a sigh Methos followed his student into the temple. When the wan light from the doors was all but gone, they lit torches and pressed on, until Ardeth led them into a great open chamber. There lay the rotted body of the monster that had once been Mathias, the Scorpion King.

“Ah Mathias,” Methos said, and went over. He dipped his torch, and the dessicated flesh took the flame easily. The Presence flared, and Ardeth and Methos turned in unison toward one of the pits as a low groan of pain echoed through the room. A soft sound of pain and almost inaudible whimpering led them to where Imhotep was continually dying and reviving, his Immortal flesh feasted on by the creatures of the underworld. 

“Not even he deserves this,” Ardeth said darkly, and thrust his torch towards the uncanny tableau. The vermin skittered away, and Methos dragged Imhotep upward. Ardeth leaned down to help when it became clear that it would take the strength of more than one man, and together they hauled Imhotep free. Carefully Methos cut the Immortal priest open and removed the massive flesh-eating scarabs from beneath his skin. Lightning danced over golden skin, and fathomless black eyes blinked open as Imhotep’s Presence flared once more.


End file.
